by Aldous Sperl, Giovanni Graglia, Chris Yarnell, Tim Hall (year 31)
Aldous's Perspective: As the rain poured on our tent in ridiculous amounts and I sat their shivering wondering how I was ever going to get warm, I seriously wondered why I was doing this. The answer of course was that some extraordinarily confused Outdoor Fitness 2nd year males (namely: Aldous, Chris, Giovanni, and Tim), were attempting to be hardcore by hiking for a week, covering over 120km of distance (all by foot) and to brave the natural elements with minimal food, clothing and shelter. We first hiked the Kludahk trail (a 40km trail following the San Juan Ridge), after which we walked into Port Renfrew, re-supplied our food, and promptly set off on the Juan de Fuca trail (a 47km long trail), ending up back in Jordan River where we started from. For me the highlights of the trip were the great bonding which happened between all of us, the long hikes in mud, the awesome/not so awesome weather, and the raid by a big animal (bear or cougar) of our food cache. It was definitely an amazing week (by far my best project week), in which we all got a nice break from academic work, and also got a lot of sleep (at least 11hrs every day).
Giovanni's Perspective: I decided to join my three lovely friends for this project week at the very last minute. Since that moment I was enthusiastic about our group, about our program for the hike and about the equipment the college had furnished us with; I was a little less enthusiastic about the weather that was forecasted for our seven days, but, at least in the beginning, I was ready to walk with my group mates no matter what the conditions were. Obviously the week turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences I've had since I'm here. It was amazing the way the others took care of me without pointing at my lack of camping skills. I won't forget our campsites, the stars at night, the way I enjoyed the real Canadian pasta we used to have for dinner, the day in which, as I had a knee problem, my friends made my backpack 15 kilos lighter and, most of all, the happiness I felt when, after 120 km, I was finally able to take my boots off. Giovanni, Italy, Year 31.
CONTINUED
Some sample projects
Vancouver Food Bank
Vancouver Soup Kitchen
Metchosin House
Teaching about the UN
Cultural Ambassador
War Child
Media
Tofino Botanical Gardens
Hike
Bamfield Marine Science
Taking a great break